


A different kind of magic

by fortytworedvines



Category: Holby City
Genre: Berena Appreciation Week, F/F, Harry Potter Universe AU, Mild Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-16
Updated: 2018-08-16
Packaged: 2019-06-28 08:08:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15703227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fortytworedvines/pseuds/fortytworedvines
Summary: She's living with muggles - but when dark forces are rising, is anywhere safe?





	A different kind of magic

It is dark, and Serena is scared. She’s got the light on, but the blackness outside seems to be seeping into every corner of the room. The Daily Prophet, cast aside earlier on, screams doom at her from every page. Disappearances, murders, destroyed houses and the constant whisper of he-who-must-not-be-named. Serena flexes her fingers around her wand, fighting the urge to cast and re-cast her protection spells. She’d added an extra layer this morning, after Eleanor had gone to school. They’ll hold; they have to hold, because she doesn’t know where Edward is these days, or what he does, but it seems only too likely that he, with all his pure-blood arrogance, has joined the shady figures in their hoods and is even now plotting to destroy the ex-wife who humiliated him and the squib daughter whose very existence has brought shame on his family.

There are shouts from muggles on the street and Serena stiffens, then relaxes as she realises it’s just the teenagers heading out. She wishes she could do more to protect them, these kids that Eleanor is growing up with. She is only one witch, surrounded by muggles, and there is only so far her power can stretch. If only Eleanor was safe at Hogwarts, she thinks despairingly. But then if Eleanor was at Hogwarts then Edward would not have left them and they wouldn’t be living here, with muggles, miles from the closest wizards and witches, and she would never have met – _Bernie_.

 

Bernie had turned up a few years after Serena had moved in. A single mum, just like Serena, with two children and the youngest, Charlotte, the same age as Eleanor. They’d moved in next door and Serena had been delighted that Eleanor might have a friend right on the doorstep. So she’d gone round and introduced herself. The kids had gone to play and she and Bernie had sat at the kitchen table together, drinking tea and chatting as if they’d known each other for years.

They’d done the school run together, ranted at each other over the uselessness of men, helped each other out when the children were ill. And Serena had fallen in love. Fallen in love with the ridiculous mess of blonde hair and the brown eyes that sparkled and the frankly offensive black jeans that Bernie favoured. She’d watched as Bernie had dated Alex, comforted her when Alex left and broke her heart. And she’d never, never told Bernie how she felt. Sometimes she thought she saw something in Bernie’s eyes, the way that she smiled when Serena poured another glass of wine, or curled up with her on the sofa to watch Eastenders. But Bernie is Serena’s best friend, the best friend she’s ever had and she can’t, she won’t, do anything that could hurt that.

 

Another sound and Serena jerks upright. Just a cat. God, she’s so on edge. Eleanor is safe in bed. She’s got listening spells up there, to be on the safe side. She turns on the tv, some medical soap is on. She watches it idly, trying to switch her mind off. It doesn’t work, and this sense of coming danger is growing larger in her mind. She remembers her mother’s stories, that her grandmother’s grandmother was a seer and wonders if this sense is just a by-product of reading too many horror stories in the Prophet, or if it is something else. She adjusts her fingers on her wand again, then turns off the tv. A mistake; the silence is deafening.

She’s had enough, she’s going mad. She walks into the kitchen, flicks on the light. Everything is where it should be and she picks up the phone.

“Serena?” Bernie’s voice is warm and Serena feels that warmth seep into her bones.

“Bernie.” It comes out as a gasp. Serena’s knuckles are white, fingers tense around the phone.

“Serena, you’re worrying me.”

“Will you come round? Please?”

Serena can hear Bernie nibbling her lip. “Charlie’s already asleep, but I guess I can leave Cam in charge.”

Serena almost shrieks with the intensity of the panic that flashes through her. “Bring them both. Bernie, please. Stay here tonight.”

“What’s going on?” Bernie asks, fear tingeing her puzzlement.

Serena leans her head against the cabinet, willing Bernie to agree. “I can’t explain. I don’t know. Something’s wrong Bernie. Please. Come here.”

Bernie hesitates for a moment. “Okay, okay. We’ll be round in a minute.”

Serena chokes down a sob. “Thank you.”

 

Serena heads to the front door and turns on her porch light. Bernie’s front door is barely ten metres away and Serena watches it, until five minutes later Bernie and Cameron appear, each carrying a small bag. Bernie has Charlotte cradled in her arms, clearly still half asleep. They step outside and Serena holds her wand ready, just in case. Bernie looks around and Serena can see her shiver. She makes Cameron walk in front of her and it only takes a few seconds for them to reach Serena’s door. She tucks her wand in her sleeve, opens the door and pulls them in, then closes it swiftly behind them.

“Hi Serena,” Cam smiles at her. He’s a cheeky lad, but polite and hard working. He wants to be a healer – no – a doctor, Serena corrects herself. All these years in the muggle world and still the wizarding terminology comes first.

“Serena,” Bernie still has her arms wrapped around Charlotte. Her brown eyes hold Serena’s steadily but Serena can see a flicker of fear there.

“There’s a mattress for Charlotte in Eleanor’s room,” Serena says – it’ll be true by the time they’re there, at any rate – “Cameron can have the spare room.”

Bernie nods. She knows Serena’s house as well as her own. “I’ll get Charlie settled. Coffee?”

“I’ll get the kettle on,” Serena nods. “You, young man, go and sort your things out.” Cameron grins and Serena feels the weight in her chest lift slightly. The dark seems less threatening with more people in her house.

Bernie gets Charlie settled and Cam goes off to bed with his book, leaving Serena and Bernie to sit with their coffee.

“D’you mind telling me what’s going on?” Bernie asks gently.

“Something bad,” Serena says, hands wrapped around her mug. “I felt – something bad. A warning.” She shivers, and Bernie places her mug on the table, then shuffles closer on the sofa and wraps her arms round her.

“I’ve got you,” she whispers. “I’ve got you.”

After a while Serena relaxes and Bernie drops her arms. Serena leans forward to switch on the tv and then snuggles back into the sofa, into Bernie’s side. Bernie strokes her hair, which makes Serena hum. She’s feeling better now; Bernie always makes her feel stronger and more sure of herself.

“This programme is rubbish,” Bernie says after a while.

“It is, isn’t it.” Serena agrees. Neither makes any move to change the channel, though.

“Am I on the sofa tonight?” Bernie asks a little later.

“Don’t be silly, I’ve got a double bed. Plenty of room for two. It’s not as though you take up much space.”

“Skinny, am I?” Bernie asks with a laugh.

“Just perfect,” Serena murmurs, before she can stop herself.

“Glad somebody thinks so,” Bernie says lightly and looks down at her, with that fond expression she has sometimes. “You look exhausted Serena. Come on, let’s get to bed.”

Serena waits while Bernie washes and brushes her teeth. When she gets out of the bathroom herself, Bernie is already tucked up in bed. She looks so right there that for a second Serena can’t breathe.

“Come here, you,” Bernie says and Serena slips under the covers with a shy smile.

“Thanks for staying,” Serena says when they are lying on their sides facing each other, barely a hand span between them.

“That’s okay,” Bernie’s hands find Serena’s. “I’m here for you Serena, whenever you need me.”

Bernie’s thumbs are stroking soft circles and Serena blinks sleepily at Bernie. “You’re the best friend I’ve ever had.” Bernie squeezes her hands tight and her eyes look suspiciously damp as she wishes Serena a good night.

 

Serena awakes with a jerk, sits up, sweat pouring off her. A nightmare. The details are floating away already but the horror remains. Beside her, Bernie tosses, but then there’s a cry from the girls’ room and Bernie’s eyes snap open.

“Shit,” she says as she clutches her chest. “Serena?”

“I’m here.”

“That’s Charlie.” Bernie swings herself out of bed and heads for the door.

Serena hits the light but the gloom barely lifts. What’s the point, she wonders. There’s nothing – she tears herself away from the thought, reaches for her wand. It’s not there. She’s left it in her top, which is in the bathroom. With a sob, she forces herself out of bed, races across the room to the pile of clothes she’s left on the bathroom floor.

She feels as though she’s moving through treacle but she makes it back to her window. Pushes it open. She can see them already. Dementors. But they’re not outside her house; they’re outside Bernie’s. They’ll sense there’s nobody there soon, and they’ll come for her. She doesn’t know if the wards will hold against them, she’d never imagined dementors would come calling.

Come on Serena, she says to herself. Happy memories. She grasps at them hopelessly. Her mind fills with images of Edward shouting, of his fury at her. Of her mother dying disappointed in her squib grandchild. Of a younger Eleanor crying and asking why she can’t do magic like her friends can. Her wand is trembling in her grasp.

“Serena?” Bernie is back in the room, and Serena is half out the window pointing a wand into the night.

A frail whisp of silver appears at the end of her wand and fades immediately. “I can’t do it,” Serena sobs.

Bernie moves behind her, and Serena can feel her warmth at her back. Then Bernie wraps her arms round her, presses a kiss to her neck.

“Yes you can. You’ve got this, Serena.”

Serena draws a shuddering breath. The dementors are moving towards her house now, four of them. The chill is growing deeper and she can feel Bernie trembling against her.

“I love you,” Bernie whispers, desperation in her voice. “I love you, Serena Campbell. Don’t let us die without you knowing that.”

Fire rushes through Serena, it pushes back the chill in her veins and puts strength into her voice. With Bernie flush against her back, she thrusts her wand into the dark and yells “Expecto Patronum!”

Her patronus bursts forth, charges the dementors until they turn tail and disappear into the night. Gradually the chill lifts and the gloom subsides. Serena’s patronus comes running back, wagging its tail. She lifts her hand to greet it. It’s got a new form since she cast it last, in her final year at school; now it’s a tall wolf hound. It rushes in through the window, licks her face with a shiny tongue and fades.

Bernie sags against her. “Thank you, thank you.”

Serena turns, scans Bernie’s face. “You love me?”

“Oh, Serena,” Bernie touches Serena’s cheek as if she’s afraid she’ll break. “For so long.”

As Serena presses her lips firmly against Bernie’s the last of the lingering fear lifts. “I love you too.”

 

Serena makes them hot chocolate, blushes as her fingers brush Bernie’s when she passes her cup over. Bernie tugs her onto the sofa, pulls Serena down so that her head is nestled on Bernie’s shoulder.

“You,” they say at the same time.

“You first,” Bernie says, stroking her fingers through Serena’s greying hair.

“You must have questions.”

“Not – I – Serena… I’m a squib.”

“Okay,” Serena breathes deeply. “Okay, that makes things a little easier.”

“Does it?” Bernie says, a hint of bitterness in her voice.

“It means I’m less likely to be hauled in front of the Wizengamot for doing magic in front of a muggle,” Serena replies mildly.

Bernie sighs. “True. Serena. Dementors?”

“You saw them?”

“Yes.” she tightens her arm around her, “You saved our lives tonight. Thank you.”

Serena pauses then sits up, taking Bernie’s hands and tangling their fingers together. “They were outside your house. Before they came here.”

Bernie’s eyes flutter closed and a pained expression crosses her face. “Right.”

Serena hesitates before she continues, “Edward – he was something of a pure-blood supremacist. He might have joined the – the dark forces. I thought he might have sent them because Eleanor is a squib too.”

“Poor girl,” Bernie murmurs.

“But they went to your house. Bernie – your family?”

“Disowned me as soon as I was old enough to live by myself,” Bernie says flatly. “They got back in touch when I had the kids, stuck around long enough to see that neither of them was in anyway magical, then cut us off again.”

Serena bites her lip, unwilling to ask the obvious question, but Bernie holds her gaze firmly. “If you’re being too cautious to ask, the answer is yes. They might have sent them.”

“I’m sorry,” Serena whispers.

Bernie shrugs. “No match for you, though,” a hint of a smile begins to show. “You were rather spectacular.”

Serena’s heart lifts, glad to leave the subject of awful families behind them. “Thanks to you,” she says, shifting closer to Bernie.

Bernie’s hands find their way to her shoulders. “Can I kiss you?” she asks softly.

“The answer to that will always be yes.”

Bernie chuckles, closes the remaining space between them. A gentle kiss deepens until Serena is boneless in her arms.

“I love you,” Bernie whispers fervently.

“Bernie, you will stay? Until this is all over?”

Bernie studies her. “It could be months. Years.”

“Then stay forever.”

Bernie huffs a laugh, pulls Serena close and presses their foreheads together. “Okay,” she replies.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Berena appreciation week day four: AU


End file.
